


Breathe, And Help Me Down

by RedLineMyHeart (OpaqueXApathy)



Category: Top Gear (UK) RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Seizures, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-10
Updated: 2013-09-10
Packaged: 2017-12-26 05:43:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/962289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OpaqueXApathy/pseuds/RedLineMyHeart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nearly six years after the crash, Hammond still struggles with physical remnants of that nightmarish day but with the help of James and Jeremy - he's not alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathe, And Help Me Down

**Author's Note:**

> Omagosh.. my first Top Gear slash story. Never thought I'd see the day. Proper disclaimer here too - all characters mentioned here within are the property of themselves and this is in no way any approximation of their real life, personalities, or life choices. I feel as though they are 'characters' on a 'show'. I don't really write real person slash and I don't exactly consider this either. That said.. more to come probably. I really enjoyed this.

Their relationship was not one of convention.

James was happy and content with his life as a bachelor, Jeremy was still adjusting to being divorced even though he and James and been together off and on for some years now. And Hammond they knew loved Mindy.

Jeremy had his two girls and he understood where the other man was coming from but Hammond carried out with them and their relationship with a certain happy blissfulness that James admitted that he envied a bit. Jeremy sympathized with that assessment but neither of them would ever ask Hammond to make an ultimatum. It was as painful as it was ludicrous and they felt lucky they even had him at all. They knew he loved them and they were certain he always would.

But in the months after the crash, things had started to unfold between them with a new sense of anxiety and fear. Feelings that hadn't touched them this deeply before. For one, it didn't seem like Hammond had had nearly enough time to recover. All the pain and turmoil and finally getting all those pieces back together in his head – it didn't seem like nearly enough time. And now James and Jeremy had to watch as the man flitted about as he usually did, driving to the limit and fearlessly taking on any challenge. Before they had admired it. Now they nearly dreaded it.

It was hard to just let it go and leave it in the past where James insisted it belonged. Jeremy agreed but he was having a harder time following through. It had all come down to trust – trust in Hammond to respect his limits if he couldn't respect the limits of the fabric of existence itself. When it came down to it – Hammond wasn't reckless. He was competent, a risk taker sure, but the smartest bloke Jeremy knew behind the wheel that wasn't a professional race car driver or the Stig for that matter. They had to trust him and trust that he trusted them too.

And as the years passed and as their relationship resolutely continued on, that trust was tried and tested but it never failed. Hammond knew how to reach out to them and in turn, they knew when to reach for him if he started flying too fast and too far near his limits. Sometimes they didn't succeed but in the end, they were all there for each other. And that's what love was. Far from conventional, it was crazy, hectic, amazing, and defining. It molded them and their relationship into something married couples only dreamed of. Jeremy had tried marrying again but honestly, that hadn't worked out well either and he was okay with that. James wasn't too keen on trying it either and Hammond still had Mindy.

It all came down to love. And trust.

_“Jeremy?”_

Reflexively, he was reaching for his two way radio before he was aware of it. There was something in Hammond's tone, something ages ago familiar, that sent the neck hairs at the back of his neck on edge and his stomach tightening in his gut. James, overhearing on the radio in car in front of them, had much of a similar reaction as he cast slightly anxious eyes over at the radio.

“Yeah.” Jeremy answered immediately, keeping one eye on the road and glancing – concerned – over at Hammond in the Ferrari 458 just ahead of him.

They were driving 'budget' super cars this time around through Spain for the third installment of the twentieth season of Top Gear. It still blew his mind a bit to think they'd been doing this for twenty years. But the back of Hammond's head or anything else for that matter gave no indication of what he was about to say next.

_“Jeremy I feel a seizure coming on.”_

And that did it. His heart practically came to a skidding stop, he almost put his foot harshly on the McLaren 12c's brakes prematurely before sucking in a quiet, deep breath and speaking calmly into the radio. “Pull over sweetheart. I'm coming.” Even though the cameras were still on, he hadn't been able to bite down on the pet name. He trusted the editors to just leave this all out anyway.

Up ahead, James was pulling the Audi R8 to the side – Hammond had already stopped nearly in the middle of the road but out here, in this bizarrely deserted place, Jeremy certainly cared little where he came to a stop just so long as it was close to Hammond.

There was a pack that he always carried with him that he and James never hoped they'd have to use. But they had. Fortunately, they could only count those Hammond related emergencies on one hand. Four episodes in the past, four seizures that the public had no business to know about. With medication they were very manageable and nearly nonexistent. Hammond hadn't had one in four years and this was as alarming as it was startling. And sudden.

Hammond had opened the Ferrari's driver side door and, grabbing the bag from the back of his McLaren, Jeremy jogged quickly over to their younger lover. James was already there – hand on Hammond's leg, speaking to him calmly, and Jeremy wasn't far behind. Concerned crewmen were already aware, overhearing on the radio no doubt, and Jeremy told them to dial for emergency services. But the experienced members left the rest to them and told the others to stay away. James and Jeremy had enough training in these incidents to very nearly be the emergency services but they'd done that purposely out of the fear of ever losing Hammond again.

Both of them hated feeling helpless, unable to help. His first seizure had nearly given Jeremy a heart attack, James too he was sure, but though his heart was beating hard and fast now – he had the experience and the know how to see Hammond through it. They both did.

“Okay let's lay you down.” Jeremy said, having set the pack aside four or five feet away.

James was already unzipping it, unfolding a blanket for Hammond to lay on and quickly taking out other supplies while Jeremy helped their lover out of the car. “It's going to be all right.” he murmured and Hammond gave him a slight, quiet nod.

Jeremy helped him lay down, James reaching up to help from where he knelt on the pavement – and Jeremy went quickly to his knees as well. Sometimes they had time to get ready, other times they didn't, but Hammond generally knew well when he was going to have one, able to warn them sometimes ten minutes ahead of time.

“Everything's going to be all right.” Jeremy spoke to him soothingly as he reached for some towels from the pack, Hammond's eyes darting up to catch his. “It's going to be okay.”

James reached into the bag as Jeremy set the towels aside, slipping a hand underneath Hammond's neck, “Lift now.” he whispered, putting the blanket under his head and helping him lower it back down. “That's it.” he praised.

“I don't think it's going to be a bad one.” Hammond said, but his relatively calm words belied the fear in his eyes and the hand that found Jeremy's sleeve.

Jeremy reached down and covered his hand, easing down to sit beside him. “We'll handle whatever comes. Just relax and breathe nice and easy.”

“I love you.” Hammond said, swallowing a bit heavily.

Jeremy made a soft sound, chest tightening as he reached out to stroke his hair, taking his hand and lifting it up to his chest. “We love you too baby.”

Hammond started to smile and that's when it hit, expression going completely blank – his entire body going a bit rigid as he started to shake ever so slightly.

“Here we go.” James murmured, both watching him closely.

“Simple partial.” Jeremy noted quietly, reaching out to gently caress a hand over Hammond's side – rubbing in small, soothing strokes. In the scale of seizures, it was still a seizure, but their lover had had far worse. Jeremy would never, ever forget Botswana.

“It's all right.” James soothed, “Everything's all right.”

“We're here. We're right here.” Jeremy adjusted, nearly laying beside him now, and stroked a hand through his hair – watching as their younger lover twitched a bit more strongly, breathing heavy. But the jerks weren't violent or all that strong, some slight and mostly in his legs. His expression continued to be vacant and both he and James did their best to soothe and see him through it, Hammond's grip on his hand spasmodic at best.

“Good boy, Richard. Attaway.” Jeremy coaxed.

“We're approaching the three minute mark.” James said, glancing down at his watch, his other hand coming to rest on Richard's shoulder.

“It's all right. He'll come out of it.” Jeremy wasn't just saying that optimistically. It was already easing, Hammond's seizure, and his body was starting to relax – expression still completely vacant. “Come on baby.” he murmured in a soft whisper, “Come on now. Come back to us.”

“There he goes.” James soothed, relaxing with a bit of a smile as Hammond slowly blinked, body finally still. “Come on Hammond. Come on.” he said, rubbing his shoulder.

“Richard?” Jeremy spoke calmly, louder, but their younger lover wasn't quite there yet – his breathing finally relatively calm and his body relaxing more and more as the seconds passed.

Another blink, and then his hand twitched in Jeremy's. “Jezza?” he said in a bit of a slurred, confused tone.

“Yeah baby.” Jeremy said immediately. “I'm right here.”

“I'm... I'm all right. I'm out of it.”

James let out a quiet breath and Jeremy did as well, giving a relieved smile and a nod. “You did good, you did really good.”

“What happened? It wasn't that bad was it?” Hammond asked a bit fuzzily, moving as if to get up.

Jeremy stopped him from sitting up, easing him back down with gentle pressure, “Let's just stay quiet for a minute, okay? It was just fine. You did great. I believe it was only a simple or a complex partial. No fits, just a bit of shaking. You came out of it at a little under three minutes.”

“Okay.” Hammond said, giving another blink and nodding, “Okay that's good.”

An ambulance arrived about ten minutes later but by then, Hammond was fine – awake and alert, just a bit tired. Jeremy had given him some water, keeping a hand on his knee and never leaving his side – James doing a bit of the same besides some occasional, restless wandering.

When everything was said and done they decided to rest for the day, Hammond predictably not wanting to go the hospital or to quit filming. The only reason Jeremy didn't fight his requests was a simple amount of trust and a fair amount of love.

“You did good telling me.” he said to him softly when they'd gotten a bit of a moment alone.

Hammond gave him a flicker of a smile, lifting the bottle of water up to his lips to take a swallow. “James is going to sleep like a ton of bricks. I think I've emotionally overloaded him enough for one day.”

Jeremy smiled and looked up at the other Top Gear presenter, who was fussing with something unimportant on the Audi R8, “It's good for him.”

Hammond chuckled a bit but his smile rapidly faded, eyes falling to the ground as he played with the hem of his shirt. “I love you, Jezza. Thank you.”

Companionably, because they probably weren't completely away from the eyes of the crew and cameramen – Jeremy slung an arm around his shoulders and gave him a one armed hug. “I love you too.”

~END~


End file.
